MENS RIGHT

VS FEMINISM
The Battle Over False Cases and Legal Loopholes

PRESENTED BY:

Dr. Mukti Sharma

 Feminism Over the Years
Mid 19th century - early 20th
1960-1970 1990-2010 2010-Present
century

First Wave Second Wave Third Wave Fourth Wave

Demands of : Conceptualization of Gender Intersectionality Pay equity
Female suffrage Persistence of legal and Workplace Patriarchy Reproductive rights
economic rights Women's empowerment in Queer Liberation
Educational rights
Intersectionality
Right to property Addressing systemic sexism governance
Body Positivity
Child custody Challenging traditional gender Sexual Violence Prevention
Marital rights roles

Concluded with the achievement of Concluded with Feminist sex With the rise of Social media a
Ongoing...
women's suffrage in New Zealand wars in 1980 soon transitioning transition to Fourth Wave took
(1893), the USA (1920), and Britain into the third wave place
(1928).
 Men’s Rights Movement
What sparked it?
Reaction to perceived bias in legal framework

Driving Issues
Dowry Harassment
Child custody
Unfair Alimony Laws
False Accusations
Men’s mental health
Criminal Justice

What are they advocating for?

Fair treatment in Family courts
Recognition of male victims
Eradication of male stigma
 Clash between
Feminism and Men’s
right Movement
MRM highlights
Primary focus of
Issues faced by men
Feminism is the
due to the influence
protection of women
of feminism and
rights under
denies the existence
Patriarchy
of patriarchy

Feminism sees MRM MRM sees feminism

as anti-women as anti-men

Feminism fights rape MRM fears false

culture accusation

MRM criticizes
Feminism supports
family court due to
women’s protection in
bias in legal
domestic disputes
framework
 Legal Landscape
LAWS MADE IN FAVOR OF WOMEN : No Specific Law for Men and therefore various
The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 sections of the IPC is utilized :
The Dowry Prohibition Act 1961
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution-
The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act
Everyone is equal before the law
1971
Article 15 of the Indian Constitution-
The Equal Remuneration Act 1976
Prohibits discrimination based on gender
The Indecent Representation of Women
Article 21 of the Indian Constitution-
(Prohibition) Act 1986
Protection of Life and Personal Liberty.
The National Commission for Women Act
Article 32 of the Indian Constitution-
1990
right to seek justice if fundamental rights are
The Protection of Women from Domestic
violated
Violence Act 2005
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006
The Sexual Harassment of Women at
Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal) Act 2013
 IPC section 498A
Section 498A IPC protects a woman from harassment related to dowry or any marital issues.

While these laws were created to

Prevents the exploitation of Lack of investigation leads to
women wrongful conviction protect vulnerable women, growing
concerns have emerged about their
Encourages the empowerment of
False allegations and misuse misuse, especially by those who feel
women

wrongfully accused—making it a
Reduced deaths due to dowry and
lowered suicide rates
Unreliability of evidence significant issue voiced by the
Men’s Rights Movement.
Discrimination of domestic violence laws falling under IPC section 498A

It has been found on the consequences of a survey carried on 1000 married males in rural
Haryana villages ranging in age from 21 to 49 years old, gender-based violence affects 52.4
percent of married men in India. 51.5 percent of males have been imperiled to some class of
torture or abuse by their mates or close partners at some point in their lives.
The stereotyped roles and societal shame associated with gender have spawned a slew of gender-specific
legislation that offers little recourse to male victims.
As per the Act, the term “respondent” has been defined to comprise only men as perpetrator of
crime of domestic violence as in the definition section under Section 2(q), it has clearly used the
term “any adult male person”. Hence, as per the definition, respondent can be husband himself or
any relatives of the husband.
Section 375 of IPC Once again, this law applies exclusively to women,
rejecting any proposition of sexual harassment towards
men or individual from the LGBTQ+ community
Section 375 of the Indian Penal
the social notion and stigma of a man not being ‘capable’
Code (IPC) defines "rape". It
of being raped coupled with a lack of legal recourse and
outlines the circumstances in mechanisms leaves men bot being able to file official
complaints
which a man is deemed to have
committed rape, including sexual according to current estimates, over 27% of men and over
intercourse with a woman 32% of women had been sexually victimized at some time
in their lives however due to lack of official complaints
against her will or when she is registered it is difficult to determine an accurate statistic
unable to consent due to being
under 18 years of age, or being of There is a tendency in society to dismiss or ridicule male
sexual victimisation due to stereotypes that men cannot
unsound mind or under the be overpowered or that experiencing rape makes them
influence of drugs or liquor. weak or less masculine.

Male survivors and female perpetrators are legally

invisible
 False cases and Radical Feminism
2021 2022 2023
418 OUT OF 21287 356 OUT OF 13479 In Telangana, 30 % OUT
DOWRY CASES WERE DOWRY CASES WERE OF 8,973 DOWRY CASES
FALSE FALSE WERE FALSE
Feminist perspectives on gender-neutral laws are diverse and complex, ranging from
support to skepticism, depending on the specific context and legal area. Some
feminists argue that gender-neutral laws can be a step towards equality, while others
express concerns that they might inadvertently erase gendered realities or create new
forms of injustice. step to
invalidates
defy
issues faced
gender
by women norms
Real cases, Real impact
State vs Laxman Gupta on 7 April, 2018
S. vs M.K. on 23 February, 2018
Judgment (State vs Jitender Etc) on 23 January, 2016
Veena vs Naveen on 23 September, 2021
Prabal Kumar Dixit vs Smt. Rimpal Dixit on 16 January, 2025
Sri Chandrashekara B T vs Smt Rajini H J on 26 July, 2024
Dharmendra Pal vs Smt. Vandana @ Vandana Tittal on 27 February, 2025
 Toxic Extremes
Radical Feminism: Radical MRM:
"All men are trash" mentality “Women lie. Period.” narrative
Misandry disguised as empowerment Using every accusation as a conspiracy
Downplaying false cases as ‘necessary theory
damage’ Toxic masculinity praised as “strength”
Dismissing men’s struggles (e.g., Victim-blaming real female survivors
mental health, custody, abuse) Turning women’s rights into a joke
Weaponizing cancel culture
Both side don’t seek equality- they seek dominance
This influence is creating a hostile environment in which genuine victims are overlooked
 With every fight to
place blame, justice
gets delayed.
Crime doesn’t have a
gender
Solutions: What Needs to Change
Gender-neutral laws
Faster investigation + stronger penalties for false accusations
Legal aid for male victims
Public awareness to reduce stigma on both ends
Rights to bodily autonomy
Awareness of Men’s Mental Health
 FEMINISM ≠ MALE OPPRESSION

AS LONG AS MEN AND WOMEN REMAIN DIVIDED IN BLAME AND CONFLICT, TRUE
JUSTICE WILL REMAIN OUT OF REACH FOR EVERYONE.